2015 Gift Guide: Thames Street

If you consider Christmas shopping a high-stress chore that makes you want to break out into hives as soon as you start thinking about it, Thames Street might be the best place for you to go. The concentration of stores should make the process relatively easy, and whenever you feel your stress levels rising at the sound of holiday songs piping through shop speakers, you can duck into one of the many bars on the street to stock up on some liquid courage.

Loosen up with brunch and bottomless bloody marys ($10) or mimosas ($15) at Bond Street Social (901 S. Bond St., [443] 449-6234, bondstreetsocial.com)—its website boasts that its bloody mary bar has more than 100 ingredients for you to choose from, so you can make some elaborate boozy concoctions before diving into the difficult shopping decisions. Struggling to decide which Boh-themed shirt your dad would like best from Natty Boh Gear (1624 Thames St., [410] 276-1038, nattybohgear.com)? Go to The Horse You Came In On Saloon (1626 Thames St., [410] 327-8111, thehorsebaltimore.com) next door to fortify yourself. Unsure what album your hipper-than-thou little sister would actually like from The Sound Garden (1616 Thames St., [410] 563-9011, cdjoint.com)? Clear your head with a walk across the street to Leadbetters Tavern (1639 Thames St., [410] 675-4794, leadbetterstavern.com). And once you choose the perfect throw pillow for your impossibly picky mom at Su Casa (901 S. Bond St., [410] 522-7010, sucasa-furniture.com), pat yourself on the back and relax with a celebratory Boh at Duda’s Tavern (1600 Thames St., [410] 276-9719) across the street. You might want to make sure you catch a ride home, though—you probably shouldn’t be driving by this point. (Anna Walsh)